The USF men’s basketball team held on against a late charging Charlotte 49ers team to win 78-76 at the Sun Dome on Thursday night.
Charlotte took control of the game early in the first half, building up leads up to 14 points midway through the period. The Bulls would go on an 11-5 scoring run at the end of the first, to put them within a pair, down 41-39 at the halftime break.
USF wing, Payton Banks, hit a jumper to start the second half and tying the game for the first time since the opening minutes. The two teams played close early in the period, but the Bulls took the lead with ten minutes remaining in the game that they would not relinquish. They were up by five with just over a minute to play, when a defensive mistake allowed 49er guard, Jon Davis, an open three-point shot, which he made to get within two with 0:48 on the clock. Charlotte got a second chance after a questionable out-of-bounds call against USF that took several minutes of official review and still was not overturned. Instead of trying for the tie, Davis shot an open three-pointer with 13 seconds on the clock. USF recovered the rebound and held the ball until time expired to win 78-76 in regulation.
Bulls’ forward, Tulio Da Silva scored a season high 23 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. Those 12 rebounds are the second highest total of the year for Da Silva, who pulled down 17 three games ago against FIU. Two other Bulls, Banks and guard, Justin Brown, also scored in double digits, with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Despite the loss, the 49ers had four players in double-digit scoring. Andrien White had a team high 16. Davis and Austin Adjukwa scored 15, each, and Jaylan McGill put up 12 points. Davis also led his team with nine assists.
Charlotte drops to 4-7 on the season and will visit 8-3 Old Dominion in their next matchup on 12/30.
The Bulls now have a winning record, with seven wins and six losses. The schedule gets more challenging for USF next week, when they will host 10-2 Houston to begin conference play on Thursday, 12/28, at 7 PM. That game can be viewed nationally on ESPNNews.
